Michigan's November ballot will not include health-care proposal; signature drive falls short

LANSING -- A universal health-care proposal will not be on Michigan's November ballot because supporters fell short of collecting enough signatures from voters.

The Healthcare for Michigan Ballot Committee gathered about 133,000 signatures for a proposal to require the Legislature to pass laws ensuring every state citizen has affordable and comprehensive health coverage.

More than 380,000 valid signatures, or 10 percent of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, are needed to put before voters measures changing the state constitution.

John Freeman, a former state representative who led the campaign, said Friday that hundreds of volunteers helped circulate petitions. But the group had money woes, a crucial factor because ballot drives often have to pay people to collect signatures.

Freeman said it was tough to raise money because potential donors were tapped a lot during the lengthy Democratic presidential primary season.

About 450,000 signatures would have been needed by July 7 as a cushion to get the health-care proposal on the ballot, Freeman said.

"That's a huge challenge," he said.

Organizers gathered inside a church across from the Capitol and pledged to keep fighting to make health care affordable and available to all Michigan families. They announced the creation of a coalition of labor unions, religious groups, medical groups and advocacy organizations to pressure both state and federal lawmakers to act.

"Health care is the No. 1 social issue in our country," Freeman said. "Too many people are one pink slip away from losing their health care."

An estimated 850,000 to 1 million Michigan residents are uninsured.

The proposal had concerned business groups worried about the potential cost for businesses. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce had called the proposal vague, arguing it could take years to define through court fights.

With Friday's announcement, it appears voters will decide no more than three measures in November.

They will consider whether marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes.

The Stem Cell Research Ballot Question Committee, which wants to loosen current restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research in Michigan, is expected to turn in enough signatures before the deadline. The proposal would allow research on donated embryos created for fertility treatments that otherwise would be discarded.

A third measure that flew under the radar for months but appears to be gaining momentum would rewrite a large chunk of the state constitution by reducing the number of lawmakers and judges, lowering their pay and changing the way boundaries are drawn for legislative districts. It remains to be seen if the Reform Michigan Government Now proposal will have enough signatures.